Storm
by raydance
Summary: And their hearts will stay as one...
1. Roll of Thunder

"If we actually use "refulgent", I doubt anybody would understand it."   
  
"Aw, aren't we trying to use high-class English here? We have to use these sort of words if we want to impress anybody."   
  
I blew out an exasperated sigh. "Come on, Joker... I bet you don't even know what it means."   
  
"I... err... oh look, there's a dictionary."   
  
I buried my head in my hands. Joker wasn't going to be a writer of the next Great American Novel anytime soon. _How much time have we spent on... ACK!_ She was going to kill me. I got up hurriedly and dashed to my room.   
  
"Hoi, Raiha... according to the Collins Cobuild... Where are you going?" Joker poked his head into my room to watch me throwing my clothes on in a great rush.   
  
"I'm late for a date! I am going to get it SO good later if I don't get my butt there right now." A thought occured to me and I stopped in the middle of buttoning my shirt. "Hey, if Kurei-sama asks where I've been, you just tell him that I've gone out, okay? No details needed."   
  
"Sure. And in the meantime... I'll get back to my novel. Have fun with Fuuko." He winked at me.   
  


* * *

  
  
My Jaguar screeched to a halt outside her school gate. I jumped out and saw her leaning on the wall some distance away. "Fuuko!" I called. I ran towards her. _Hope she isn't too mad with me... I wouldn't want... oops!_ Being the total klutz that I was, I had tripped over a tree root and fallen. _I hate it when I do that._ I got up sheepishly and jogged to her side, smiling a little apologetically.   
  
"Are you okay?" she asked, a worried look on her face. I nodded and stretched out my hand. "Let's go for an early dinner and then I can show you what I wanted to." She took it, and I led her to my car.   
  
Somehow, we never seemed to find much to actually discuss and talk about. I drove on, the car in silence except for the radio on. What could I talk to her about? Kurei-sama? _Not a good idea._ My work? _ Not a good idea either._ How come she never tells me about her school? _Probably the same reason why I don't discuss my work._ It didn't matter to me that we didn't talk about these sort of things. In fact, whenever we were together, it was always quiet. I liked it that way. I could just enjoy her company.   
  


* * *

  
  
We reached the restaurant and I opened the car door for Fuuko. To my surprise, she was staring into thin air, frowning a little, as if in deep thought. "Fuu-chan?" I asked softly and touched her lightly on the shoulder. She jumped and smiled. "Sorry," she said in her alto. We went into the restaurant together.   
  
The slight furrow on her brow was still there when we started eating, and it remained till the main course. I had to ask her. "Fuu-chan... are you alright?"   
  
She smiled the same fake smile she gave me in the car and attributed it to the stress in school. Skeptically I went back to my food. _Perhaps she will tell me when she is ready._   
  


* * *

  
  
We were soon back in my car, and I put down the roof of my car. After all, we were in the countryside. The air would do me good. But it seemed as though Fuuko benefited more from it. She stood up and stretched out her hands, her green eyes closed in contentment. The wind ruffled her hair, tousled it, played with it. She looked like a goddess. _MY goddess._   
  
"You sure like the wind, Fuu-chan." I said, with an amused tone to my voice.   
  
"No less than how much you like thunder." She teased back, a smile playing on her lips.   
  
I laughed out loud, something I hadn't done in days. Fuuko was the only one who could do that to me, the only one who could enable me to be completely at ease with myself. These days, Kurei-sama was being too oppressive, and at times, Joker was just annoying. My spirits lifted considerably, I upped the speed of my car.   
  


* * *

  
  
We reached the beginning of the little road that led to my private spot. "Come on, Fuu-chan. We'll have to walk, but it isn't very far from here." I started my climb up the path, carefully avoiding the potholes that littered the area. "You'll have to keep this a secret, Fuu-chan. This is my private thinking spot, and you're the first I'm bringing here. Of course, you can share it with me." I turned to ensure she got past an especially tricky part, but I had lost her some metres back. I stuck my head around the corner, to see her standing there with the same little furrow on her forehead. "Fuu-chan?" She blinked and grinned apologetically. We continued on our way.   
  
We reached the little clearing that had played host to so many of my little pilgrimages to clear my mind of doubt and worry. I checked my watch. Just right to show her the view. "Come," I said, and walked through the trees towards the edge of the hill.   
  
The sun had just turned orange and was beginning to set. The look on her face was something that I would never forget. The sheer joy of viewing the glorious sight of Mother Nature working one of her many miracles. I watched the sunlight play across her face, the shadows dance across her features. I felt my lips lifting in a smile. _Looks like she enjoys this place._ My mind flashed back to how I found this clearing.   
  


_ "Look, I just asked you if your work was very stressful!"   
  
"No, it isn't. And you don't have to keep asking about Kurei-sama! He's just there, okay? This is about us, Kurei-sama and my work doesn't come into this anymore than Domon does!"   
  
"I NEVER talk about Domon!"   
  
"It was just an example, don't get so worked up!"   
  
"Worked up? YOU'RE the one who's worked up!"   
  
My face darkened and I stormed out of her house back down to my car. I decided to go to the countryside to clear my mind. I put the roof down and zoomed along down the roads. I drove aimlessly along, playing again and again in my mind the first real spat that we had since I knew her. Before I knew it, I had reached the foot of a little hill overlooking the city. I climbed up and found a magical little clearing. And there I sat for many hours, watching the hustle and bustle of the city, watching the sunset. In the middle of the night, rain began to fall. The lightning flashed, illuminating the dark roiling clouds in the sky. The thunder boomed, like the percussion section of the Orchestra of the Heavens. The water cleansed me, soothed my flaming rage and brought me back to my senses. I had to look for her and apologise. I looked down at my sopping clothes. _But first, I go home to clean up. _Also I had to get back, in case Kurei-sama sent men to look for me. I wasn't about to share this little spot anytime soon.   
  
My car roared up the driveway, but braked to a sudden stop before a forlorn figure with purple hair. _Fuuko..._ It was her. She stood next to the door, the rain causing her hair to stick to her scalp. It couldn't hide the reddened eyes that screamed out that she had been crying. "Raiha..." she choked out. "Sorry... I don't know what came over me. I've been trying to call you for so long, but no one answered the phone, and I thought..." She burst into sobs again, and I held her.   
  
"It was my fault as much as yours. And let's just forget this. Come in, get dry." And that night, I asked her to be my girlfriend. For better or for worse.   
  
_

Ironic how our first fight led to the discovery of this magical clearing. I turned to glance at Fuuko.   
  
There she stood, her face upturned towards the rays of light, the sun bathing her in a halo of gold that made her look wondrous. My heart was suffused with warmth; not from the sun, but from love. I could have watched her forever.   
  
She broke out of her reverie, her eyes still glowing from the spectacular experience. Unable to stop myself, I reached out to hold her, but to my immense surprise, she broke out of my embrace.   
  
"Wait, stop. What's all this?" She said, eyeing me warily.   
  
Puzzled, I frowned at her and said I just wanted to hold her. And then, it dawned upon me. "Surely you don't think I was going to..."   
  
She visibly deflated and shook her head, the guilty look in her eyes quickly masked by a false cheer. _Who's she kidding? I know her too well for that._   
  
"Hey, Rai-chan," Fuuko said. I cocked my head at her. "What attracted you to me in the first place? My beauty? My charm? My wit?" She struck a pose. She looked beautiful in the moonlight, even with that faux supermodel pose. _What was it? I never thought about this before..._   
  
"Your independence," I began hesitantly. And then I went on, getting more and more confident. "Your zest for life... your uniqueness." I stopped before I went on to embarrass the two of us.   
  
"Then... why me?"   
  
Something in me clicked. So, THIS was what she had been worrying about all day, this was why she was so cold. A wave of hurt washed over me, but I suppressed it. I had to explain, before she decided to leave my side. And somehow, I knew I couldn't live without her, as cheesy as it may sound. _But... what can I tell her?_   
  
Out of my heart poured the reasons I loved her. _Not because of Raijin and Fuujin, because of Raiha and Fuuko. Not for receiving, for giving. _I told her those, but I couldn't look up. I couldn't bear to see any disbelief or derision.   
  
"I love you, Fuu-chan, for everything that you are, for just being you." _Believe me... please..._ I pleaded her with my heart, repeating the sentence like a litany. Unable to stand it, I lifted my head to look into her eyes, hoping to find an answer within them.   
  
Her eyes spoke a million words. The sudden understanding, the guilt and contrition, the love so deep I nearly gasped. With tears streaming down her face, she dashed into my arms. "Forgive me," she whispered.   
  
The sheer relief was palpable. _She isn't going! She's still staying!_ My heart exulted. I held her close and murmured something into her ear.   
  
"Forgiven. Because I love you." 


	2. Gust of Wind

  
  
"Fuuko! Do you want to go out to the ice-cream parlour with me?"   
  
"Sorry Domon, no can do... I'm meeting somebody else." I ran off happily, my purple hair flapping against my neck, leaving a forlorn Domon behind. _Who needs Domon when I've got HIM?_   
  
I brushed past the rest of Hokage, heading straight for the main school gate. "Hoi, Fuuko! Where are you going to in such a rush?" Recca called curiously after me.   
  
"A date!" I yelled back, flashing him a cheeky grin.   
  


* * *

  
  
"Where are you, baka..." I mumbled softly under my breath as I checked at my watch yet again. . I crossed my arms and leaned against the school gates. _He is going to get it SO good when he actually reaches here..._   
  
"Fuuko!" I looked up. It was him! I waved enthusiastically back, smirking to myself about the other girls who were staring enviously at the sight of such a good-looking young man running towards me. _Ahh..._, I sighed in contentment mentally. _My... ACK!_ He had fallen face down tripping over a tree root.   
  
_Why does he always fail me at times like this?_ "Raiha, are you okay?" I asked as he got up and jogged to my side, dusting himself off. He nodded cheerfully. He reached out a hand towards me. "Come on," he said. "Let's go for a early dinner and then I can show you what I wanted to."   
  
I took his hand, a little self-conscious and we headed towards his car, a convertible Jaguar. _Rich man..._ Together, we set off for his favourite restaurant.   
  
I could never think of things to tell him about, or discuss with him. I never thought Raiha would be interested in my test results or Recca setting a new record for getting sent out of class the most number of times. I always felt that Raiha was above that, that he was too mature to hear of schoolboy antics. I snuck a peek at his chiseled profile and sunk deeper in my seat. What was such a good-looking guy doing with ME? I thought back to the time when he asked me to be his girlfriend.   
  


_ "Fuuko..." he asked in his baritone as he traced the outline of my features with his light touch.   
  
"Hmm?"   
  
"Are you willing to be my girlfriend? Someone I can love and cherish, to hold forever?"   
  
I wanted to make a smart comment about how that statement was only suitable for his future wife, but I made the mistake of looking up. Once I looked into his burnished-gold eyes, I drowned within the love and sensitivity that I saw there. The raw honesty of his words touched me. Without thinking, I agreed. _

  
  
And ever since, I always felt a tinge of doubt when I went out with him. He was so rich, so handsome, he could have ANY girl he wanted. Three million of them were throwing themselves at his feet anyway. But what did he want with me, a normal schoolgirl with a fancy armband? I stopped. Was that it then? A ploy to get at Fuujin? Or because of that legend crap about the Raijin and Fuujin being fated?   
  
"Fuu-chan?" came a soft call and a touch on my shoulder.   
  
I snapped back to reality to see Raiha staring down at me, a concerned expression on his face. I smiled weakly. We were already at the restaurant and I hadn't noticed. I got out of the car. _Kirisawa, get yourself in shape and pay attention._   
  


* * *

  
  
Fat lot of attention I paid. For some reason, that little niggle of doubt that usually only remained at the back of my head had grown into a size of a 40-ton elephant and was dancing around happily in my mind. In other words, I was getting a splitting headache just being with Raiha. _Gee, never thought that was possible._ I guessed I must have shown it, because he stopped in the middle of his main course and asked if I was feeling alright. I gave him another weak smile and nodded. "Perhaps I'm a little stressed at school."   
  
He frowned a little. "Should I send you home?"   
  
I shook my head. "It's okay, Rai-chan. It'll go away after a while." I mustered up another smile for him and a little skeptically, he went back to his food.   
  
I watched his bent head. _Later,_ I promised myself, _I will ask him why he loves me._   
  


* * *

  
  
The wind blew through my hair and I closed my eyes with pleasure. It caressed me, stroked me, soothed my hassled nerves. I enjoyed the wind. It was as if I had a connection with it, as if I could actually understand it and be a part of it. I opened my eyes again and smiled with enjoyment.   
  
"You sure like the wind, Fuu-chan," Raiha said amusedly, keeping an eye on the road.   
  
I grinned back at him. "No less than how much you like thunder."   
  
He laughed out loud and I laughed along with him. I settled back in my seat. _It's so surprising how much we know about each other. How much time we've spent together that we know each other's likes and dislikes without the other half stating it._ I lived for times like this, when I could relax, be at ease with myself and with my companion.   
  


* * *

  
  
We zoomed along to a deserted road which led to a dead end. By this time, we were already out in the countryside. I cocked my head at him questioningly and he smiled back, a little apologetically. "Fuu-chan, we'll have to walk from here, but it isn't too far." I shrugged and hopped out of the car.   
  
We climbed up a little rocky footpath which was ridden with potholes. I followed his lead, his sure movements telling me that this was not the first time he was here. "I never brought anybody here," he told me as we climbed. "You're the first. But you have to keep this place a secret. This is my private thinking spot."   
  
I stopped dead in my tracks. _Why is he bringing me here then, if it's such a big secret?_ I suddenly thought I shouldn't continue. Was I ready for this? To be part and parcel of everything and anything that Raiha held dear?   
  
"Fuu-chan? Did you trip?" Raiha poked his head from around the corner.   
  
"I'm not like you," I retorted good-naturedly. Reluctantly, I went on.   
  
Higher and higher we went, until we arrived at a little clearing that was obviously the top of the hill that we just climbed.   
  
A grove of trees grew around the clearing, providing welcome shade from the sun. I checked my watch. Almost 7 in the evening. He threaded his way through the forest. "Come." He said softly. His low, clear voice travelled over the calm air, adding to the quiet ambience of the evening. I followed him, holding my breath in anticipation.   
  
I was not disappointed. Before me was a resplendent sight of the sun setting over the city where we came from, the golds, reds and oranges casting a mystical glow over us and the city. The radiant orb of colour began to descend on the horizon, with a foreground of high-rise buildings. The light of the setting sun reflected off the glass windows of the tall buildings, the flares shining into my eyes. The strange juxtaposition of nature and the human world appealed to me. I smiled. Then again, perhaps it was because the brilliant colour of the sun resembled the deep wells of gold that was my boyfriend's eyes.   
  
I drank it all in; the colours, the warmth, the sheer joy of living and being able to see the beautiful sight. My heart soared. Japan was the Land of the Rising Sun, but truly, the Setting Sun is the more glorious. I stood there silently, just enjoying the view and the company.   
  
When it had set and dusk had fallen, I turned to Raiha to find him watching me with a slight smile on his face. "Wasn't that a beautiful sight?" I asked him, a little breathlessly.   
  
"Not as beautiful as you are." His large stride covered the short distance between us and he took me into his arms. I wanted to surrender, but I broke out of his embrace.   
  
"Wait, stop. What's all this?" I asked warily.   
  
He stared back, a puzzled look written across his features. "Fuu-chan? I just wanted to hold you. Didn't mean anything else." A look of understanding dawned upon his face. "Surely you didn't think I was going to..."   
  
I sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Raiha. I think the stress is getting to me." I laughed a laugh that sounded hysterical to my own ears. He only narrowed his eyes suspiciously at me.   
  
_I had better change the subject._ I smiled winningly at him. "Hey, Rai-chan... what attracted you to me in the first place? My beauty? My charm? My wit?" I struck a pose.   
  
He smiled that little smile again, the one where only the corners of his mouth turn up and the one that made him look like a Greek God. "That and so much more." He sat down on a rock, and I noticed that he was carefully keeping his distance from me now. He picked a leaf and systematically began to shred it. "Your independence. Your zest for life." He looked up and gazed into my eyes. _Oh no. Not again._ "Your uniqueness."   
  
Once again, I fell into the deep gold of his eyes. I saw the devotion in him. I felt the frankness of his words. I never wanted to leave him. But, I had to know. Even if the result was that I had to go away, to break his heart and mine.   
  
"Then... why me?" I faltered.   
  
"So... is this what you've been worrying about all day?" He asked archly.   
  
I reddened. I should have known that he would see through my question. I gave a small, timid nod.   
  
"I told you," he began, "you're different." He dropped the shred of green from his hand and started on a blade of grass. "Different from other girls I know. All three million of them." He rolled his eyes. I would have laughed if not for the seriousness of the subject. He discarded the grassblade and took a flower. "Your vibrancy and your vivacity caught me, took me up, swept me away." The wind blew the shredded red petals from his hand.   
  
"I love you not because of the tie between the Raijin and the Fuujin, but because of the tie between our hearts. I love you not because of what the Fuujin or you can give me, but because of what I can give you. I love you for the woman that you are. I love you for the respect you give yourself, others and nature. I love you for the silliest reasons possible. But, I love you, Fuuko, for everything that you are, for just being you. Fuu-chan... do you understand me?" He looked up, and his eyes spoke what was left unspoken. The hurt and the fear and despair that despite his explanation, I would leave him.   
  
And then I knew, that his love for me was unconditional giving. Suddenly filled with guilt and remorse, I threw myself into his arms. "Forgive me," I whispered with tears running down my face. _How long has it been since I last cried? When we had that quarrel._ I realised something. He controlled my emotions like no one could. He could bring me to a great high, he could lift me from the deepest low, and it was because I let him. Because I love him.   
  
His comforting arms enfolded me and he buried his face in my neck.   
  
"Forgiven. Because I love you." 


End file.
